Former President Donald Trump's attempt to explain a controversial campaign trail comment was disparaged by politicos who argued his backtrack was just a double-down.
Trump on Monday was met with criticism as Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign shared Trump's explanation with followers without any comment, just a quotation of his words, from an interview in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
During the interview, Trump was asked about his comments that he would "rather get" the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's top civilian honor, than the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarding acts of valor.
Given a chance to clean up his past remarks, Trump declined and once again reiterated that he'd rather get the Medal of Freedom because he wouldn't want to suffer war wounds like those regularly suffered by Medal of Honor recipients.
"People who get the Congressional Medal of Honor, which I've given to many, are often horribly wounded or dead," Trump said. "They're often dead."
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Trump issued this statement after arguing during a press conference in his Bedminster golf course last week that the civilian honor was "much better."
The statement "appalled" Americans such as Khizr Khan, a recipient of the Medal of Freedom whose son Army Capt. Humayun Khan died in Iraq saving the lives of fellow soldiers, and Medal of Honor recipient Col. Jack Jacobs.
"Trump does not understand some of the things which in history have described how we get to a position where we can have freedom," Jacobs said. "That is through the service and sacrifice of others."
The political group Republicans Against Trump Monday argued the former president had doubled down on "disparaging" comments about Medal of Honor recipients."
MSNBC correspondent Vaughn Hillyard argued Monday's comments showcased Trump's discomfort with backtracking that could ultimately backfire.
"Trump is not eager to ever apologize," Hillyard said. "This, for Donald Trump, is just an extension of concerns among some veterans in the U.S. about his treatment and his words and the extent to which he equated these two honors, between civilians and those who have been wounded in active war duty or even killed."
